Campaigners say bus fare changes are unfair

Liberal Democrat campaigners claim that changes to FirstBus fares will leave Yate passengers out of pocket compared to passengers in Bristol.

They say that journeys will cost £2.50 for under three miles, whereas Bristol residents can travel further for £2.07.

Lib Dem campaigner for Dodington, Louise Harris, said: “If you live on the outskirts of Yate and want to nip into the town centre for your shopping by bus, it's going to set you back a fiver for the return journey. That's a 25% price hike. And Yate residents are still unable to buy mTickets on their phones for single journeys under 6 miles, unlike Bristol residents who get a discount for doing this.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Thornbury & Yate, Claire Young, said: “This latest fare rise means that someone wanting to pop into Yate from Frampton Cotterell or from Alveston into Thornbury will have to pay £5 to get there and back. Meanwhile Bristol residents will now be able to get an adult single anywhere within Bristol for just £2.07. Once again this seems like an example of Thornbury & Yate residents being taken for a ride by First Bus.”

A spokesperson for the company said: “Our focus for this fare review was on the flat fare for Bristol and simplifying the zone structure for journeys outside Bath, Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, so we have focussed on improvements for our whole operating area, not just Bristol.”

“That said, the structure of our fares is always subject to review, so we will explore any improvements we can make in the future whilst always ensuring that as a commercial operator, our overall revenue from fares is consistent with us continuing to invest in our services, just as we have with the South Glos Lynx network this year.”

“Yate and Thornbury residents can buy a pack of 5 West of England Zone singles via the mTicket app for £17.50, so £3.50 each. These allow travel across the whole zone, regardless of distance, and they match the cash price for 3-6 miles and save between £1 and £3 compared to the cash price when travelling more than 6 miles.”

Louise Harris added: "I would like to see a dedicated travel zone for our area, as Bristol and Bath already have, with £1 single tickets within Yate and Thornbury and £2 singles into Yate or Thornbury from the villages. The only way to get more people out of their cars and onto public transport is to show that it represents genuine value for money.”